Snow
by Kaizerchen
Summary: Felix could not hate snow more. FelixKain
1. Quick, but not quite painless

Snow:

Chapter 1

Snow. He could not believe it, absolutely, and if he was one to curse, Felix might even be inclined to say he couldn't fucking believe it. However, as he considered himself to be a breed apart, due to his intelligence, this word had slipped (rather, been forced) out of his vocabulary. At any rate, there was snow. In the city. Even the section of the city he happened to be residing in at the moment.

Ironic or not, the small mage hated snow, detested it, or he assumed he did anyway, since it rarely got cold enough to snow in these parts. His chilly powers notwithstanding, winter could go curl up in die in a cave far, far away for all he cared about it, the nuisance that it was.

As a rule, during the winter, Felix's normally flawless porcelain complexion (yes, he referred to it as such himself) tended to dry up, just a tad. Well, more than a tad, but with the proper care, that he would never publicly admit to giving, it could be salvaged, almost to flawlessness again. But, snow? How could he combat the frosty enemy? His nose would turn red, and, for all he knew, could certainly fall off from the extreme cold, and where would he be then? Not in Vareth's "Top Ten Most Attractive Students" list, that much he could tell you. He supposed he would have to take a more drastic route this ungodly winter, and actually buy special anti-snow cream (if such a thing existed) instead of the normal lotion he kept around this time of year.

Much to his dismay, this actually entailed leaving his cozy apartment to traipse through the snow, which must be, he was sure, a foot high by now at least (a bit of exaggeration never hurt anyone). Again, something that would just wreak undeniable havoc on his features, but if he wanted to get out and ever go to the Institute again, he supposed a small sacrifice could be made.

Refusing to take a look at his mirror, for it would show him something he didn't want to see: his morning hair, he made a beeline straight for his dresser, with the intent of negotiating some sort of deal with his hair. Picking up his brush gingerly, he attempted to transform his hair into something respectable-looking, which, had he been looking in the mirror, might have seemed a daunting task. With the comfort of ignorance, he kept up with the war against his hair, pulling one section into order, than another, before he felt it would be possible to face himself in the mirror.

"It is not a joke; if you don't settle down I will cut you all off…" he warned, taking the brush out of his (now mildly) tangled mess of hair and waved it around menacingly with an exaggerated scowl scrunching up his features. Yes, indeed, he was having a shouting match with his, er, unruly, rebellious hair, though I'm sure this could be chalked up to the weather, as could most things today. After a few more tries, he returned the brush to its home on his dresser with a careless toss

Governed by a timidity that comes only from uncertainty about his appearance, he inched over to the mirror, tacked up seemingly half-heartedly (a little too carelessly, someone might be inclined to say) to the back of his door. Straightening up, he nodded slowly, finding the boy staring back at him was not only suitable, but particularly handsome for someone who thought they had just come out on the losing side of a hair-styling battle. His charming grin slid into place, the one that any professor at Vareth would be familiar with, and he sauntered over to the dresser, to give its other inhabitants a look.

"White, white, white… I would really like another color… especially with this, this… snow…" Continuing to grumble under his breath, Felix rummaged around in the hope that he had a robe in some color, any other color. Once he reached the bottom of the last drawer, he saw a small piece of green cloth peeking out, bringing a satisfied grin to the boy's face.

Felix's glee and self-satisfaction came too early, since after he yanked out the robe, it revealed its true shade, which was a particularly vibrant color, rather more like lime green than any, well, anything should be. Blinking a few times, and cocking his head to the side, he turned around, laid the robe on his bed, and backed up slowly to inspect the strange article from afar. "Green… I don't know…" The very fact that he was considering it demonstrated his disturbed state of mind. "It's not white…"

Apparently, that convinced him and he snatched up the robe, then dashed to the dresser yet again to pull out the rest of his outfit, white as usual. "Changes are good, very healthy, I hear." Still talking to himself and sounded crazier every second he pulled on his layers, finishing it off with his headband: he had tried to go without it once, but his hair just wouldn't stay out of his eyes. With a quick tease of his bangs, Felix winked at himself while passing his door on the way to the chair placed in the corner of the room, which contained his shoulder bag.

About to dash out the door, he stopped short and ran back to grab his scarf (grey, surprisingly), allowing the barest hint of a smile to cross his face while winding it around his neck. Once this was finished to his standards, he pulled on the coziest shoes he could find, and dashed straight out the door, hoping that perhaps a running start into the freezing weather might help.

Much to Felix's consternation, the running start didn't help and if it did do anything at all, it would be to make his chest feel even tighter and more uncomfortable than usual in this season. Mentally cursing (yes, for shame), he kept walking, even though, sadly, it seemed his pharmaceutical destination had him traveling against the wind, making this trip all the more exciting, to put it diplomatically. Just as he was working himself into an internal frenzy, the small mage saw someone that made his plight seem, well, pathetic, to be honest and, in the reprehensible way of most people, he felt a smidgen, just a smidgen, better about himself.

As he neared, that tell-tale mop of red hair became visible and he was struck by the sudden, not uncommon urge to run off in the opposite direction. Lucky for him, common sense ruled and he kept on his path, since if he did dash away, that would put him even further from his destination. So, with only the mildest gritting of teeth, he greeted her "Oh. Hello, Marietta," and he only managed this veneer of friendliness because he felt some iota of sympathy for the girl, buried, amazingly, waist-deep in the snow. He could only assume that she had somehow managed to fall into the snow and get her legs submerged (how this happened was a complete mystery). After she gave him a mournful look and a dispirited "Hello", he decided that he might as well lend a hand; it would perpetuate his reputation as a gentleman, after all.

With a bit too much glee, she grasped his hand and promptly began to use him for leverage, tugging relentlessly at his hand. Now, Felix had always fancied himself to be one of those deceptively pretty types who contained a secret strength, wiry tough muscles behind his soft features, but with this pitiable creature trying to pull his very arm off, he felt inclined to leave his belief untested and snatch his abused limb away. By the time he had finished this line of reasoning (or internal argument) Marietta had managed to claw her way up Felix's arm and out of the snow, letting go of his arm with a slight pout.

"Thanks. It would have been a pain to get out of there myself," she said, still looking a little pouty, and dusted herself off, hardly raising an eyebrow at the other's uncharacteristic attire. "You kn-"

Felix, knowing better than to be too polite, cut her off with a casual smile and the slightest of hair flips. "Well, I have to run down to the pharmacy. Getting a bit chilly and I just can't afford to get sick. I'm sure you understand, being a Vareth student and whatnot." Okay, so it was a lie, but as long as she didn't figure that out no harm done and he looked polite and studious, which is hard to beat.

"Oh! Really? The clinic near Olacion or… the one near Vancoor?" she asked with an unseemly amount of interest, as she straightened her hair, which appeared to have taken the fall hard, a fair amount harder than the rest of her.

"Ah, well, I'm not sure yet." Apparently, she was one of the few people who could play and win 'Stump the Felix'.

"Well, either way, you'll be passing Olacion, I'm sure. I was sent on an errand before class to deliver something there…" She sighed, shrugged and looked down at the paper bag in her hand, which Felix hadn't noticed before.

"Oh, is that so?" He fidgeted, as a feeling of foreboding passed over him, completely unable to summon up that part of himself that could break away from this girl's stranglehold.

"Yeah, but… I kept falling, so I'm pretty late; I really hate this weather, y'know. But, um, could you take this for me, pleeeease?"

"Ah, um… I, well…" Stumped again! Twice in as many minutes.

"Oh, you really _are_ a doll! It's so simple: just give it to Kain, no problem at all!" Within ten seconds, Felix had a mystery paper bag flung at his head and clumsy Marietta had managed to hightail it around the corner, without so much as a stumble, on top of which, she added a parting comment "I love your new style!"

"What a…" Well, Felix wasn't sure what she should be called exactly, but he knew she was cleverer than he had thought before. He stared at the crumpled bag that he had only just managed to catch and considered his quest. Olacion. He would be the first to say he knew next to nothing about the guild and didn't really care to find out: it all seemed to be a bit shady. However, he would not care to admit his fascination with the Shrine. In fact, when he did head into another section of town, he always tried to walk by Olacion, just to admire the stonework. Actually, he enjoyed their outfits as well: the idea of an ordained fashion just seemed so quaint and the robes so old-fashioned (nothing like his, which were certainly the epitome of good taste). Unfortunately, his hidden obsession would cause him no small amount of embarrassment if others knew; after all, it was the most stagnate body of "learning" in all of Radiata, the way it clung to old views of society, even worse than Vancoor and their sword-fighting fixation. At any rate, he tried to make the best of it by telling himself that now he had a guilt-free trip to the inside of that formidable stone building.

Though, letting his Vareth-encouraged curiosity peek out, he had to wonder who exactly this Kain person was.

-To Be Continued-

Notes?

So, I couldn't help it anymore: I had to finally give in and finish a chapter of a Radiata fanfic. Ridiculous, I know, but here's the beginning of something I can finish, hopefully. For which I blame nil desperandum.

This probably won't be updated for a week or so, because I'm thinking of writing a Christmas-themed one-shot.

Revieeews, please! I do love constructive criticism.


	2. Interested and arrogant

Snow:

Chapter II

Pulling the scarf tighter about his neck, Felix stared up at the rather forbidding entrance to the shrine and clutched the paper bag to his side (though he wouldn't exactly call it "clutching").

"I guess... going inside would be a start..." he murmured to himself, as he looked over his shoulder, intending to glance longingly towards his next destination, but instead made eye contact with an Olacion member. The man was wearing funny square glasses perched on the end of his nose and had another member, rather surly-looking, trailing not too far behind, with crossed arms. In accordance with his charming personality, Felix flashed a quick smile at the newcomers, the first of which gave him a mild smile in return and a slight nod. Feeling strangely compelled, he moved out of the doorway, to make room for the other two, though the rear of the pair didn't shoot him more than a disgruntled glance.

After he had given the door another once-over, Felix felt that it might behoove him to actually enter the place. Drawing a deep breath, he threw open the doors with what limited strength he had and did his best to look as if he was gliding into the building (magical ambiance, you know). Not as if his display got any attention, though, as no one even bothered sparing him so much as a glance, all too preoccupied with their own apparently prayer-oriented activities, except for the two from earlier, still walking in the aisle.

The glasses-wearing one turned around, face still adorned with that smile, and nodded again, which prompted the overly-muscled counterpart to turn around to throw a quick scowl at him. Careful to wait until the pair continued on their way, Felix rolled his eyes scornfully, as if he didn't really think much of their responses.

His mind went back to the task at hand and he turned his head to stay with his roving eyes, looking at the other occupants and wondering at their apparent disinterest in everything and everyone in the environment. Making full use of what could be considered amazing self-confidence, he promptly settled himself next to a small purplish-haired (a little outlandish for Olacion, he thought) girl, her feet dangling a few inches above the floor.

"Ah, excuse me, miss, I'm dreadfully sorry to bother you, but..." he started, tilting his head and attempting to look contrite.

"Oh not a problem at all!" she answered in a predictably cheerful tone, which he hoped would be a sign of her helpfulness. "What's wrong?"

"Well, you see, my friend had a delivery that she was responsible for, but... somehow she managed to dump it onto me. Really dumb of me, I know." While he may not know much about the Order, he figured that if they were like any other religion-oriented organization, they would take well to stories of shirked responsibilities, sympathizing with the poor individual with enough decency to pick up the slack. Also, self-deprecation most likely made him look even more humble and thereby generally a better person. "But... I decided that I might as well do it, since someone was expecting this delivery."

"Mmm, of course, of course!" As predicted, her eyes practically lit up with either admiration or empathy, which of the two he wasn't sure, but either way, Felix just knew that he couldn't lose now. "So what exactly is wrong?"

"See this bag?" He held it up, allowing her a brief visual inspection before lowering it to the spot beside him. "I have to bring it to someone, but I just... I have no idea who it might be; all I know is that they're a part of Olacion. I want to get it to them as fast as possible, so I don't inconvenience them anymore."

Her smile widened, which, rather surprisingly, made her chubby face a great deal prettier (even if it could never compare to his own) and the slightest tint of pink filled out her cheeks, though he couldn't quite make out why. "Well that's great! I pretty much know everyone here, so I can point you straight to them!" Folding her hands politely in her lap, she looked up at him expectantly as he quickly glanced down at his crumpled bag.

"I believe the name was... Kain, yes, I'm pretty sure that's it..." he murmured as if he hadn't quite managed to get a clear name of the recipient from the responsibility-shirking Marietta, which he hoped would tinge his story with even more credibility.

"Ah, that's just him, right up there!" She pointed, with a bit less excitement than he would have expected, though he followed the direction of her finger and realized that she just had to be pointing at glasses-man. "He's the head of the Order, you know. I'm surprised that you've never heard of him."

"Well, ah, I spend a lot of time studying..." he murmured as an excuse, still staring up at the light-haired fellow up front, trying to figure out how someone so young(looking) could have possibly risen so fast through the ranks. Something like that would never happen at Vareth: you had to have brains, experience and finesse to lead a group of potential-laden individuals. Looks and comforting smiles could never get you too far there. "I suppose I might as well go hand this over, then."

"Mmhm. As quick as possible. Also... I should warn you, that big guy next to him, well, he's almost like, um, a bodyguard I guess, so don't look threatening. Or maybe try not to look at Kain at all. I don't know. Achilles is just a little strange, I think..." she whispered, eyes wide, as if this was a sort of secret about the Olacion Order.

"Don't worry. He's pretty huge and I'm pretty small, so I'll keep away from him. Basic instinct," he reassured her, feeling that the conversation had gotten decidedly hennish and, well, he didn't really want to make her feel like he was her friend. Without another word, he hopped up and snatched the bag off of the pew, then decided to throw a quick "thank you" wink over his shoulder at his informant, to make her feel appreciated.

Taking a deep breath, he strode up the row separating the shrine into two halves, this time his walk making him seem more purposeful rather than magical, with determined steps. The point here was to keep his goal in mind and get all of this nonsense over with as quick as possible. And to not look at the frighteningly muscular guard. If he did all of that, there would be no need to fear having a broken anything. Not that he spent his time living in fear or even resting in fear, really, in fact, he feared very few things, but really, that just wasn't the point. His fearlessness would extend to this ridiculous chore. Of course, by the time he had finished his (mostly incoherent) inner monologue, with corrections, he was looking up at the robed leader of the Order, and constantly reminding himself not to look at the bulky Achilles guy.

"Excuse me, sir, Kain?" he asked, injecting just the right amount of hesitancy into his voice, perhaps only a little more than he honestly felt. "I... I was asked to deliver this to you..." Obviously, he had decided to spare the older man the boring details of how he came to be in possession of this package, since he was sure it would only waste Kain's time.

"Is that so? Hm, Curtis certainly is correct about the reliability of his students. I only just requested this of him yesterday," he said in a voice that, to be honest, more than matched that nearly permanent smile on his face, but for some reason, it completely took Felix by surprise. For a moment, it seemed to the small mage that he was just standing there with his mouth open, completely dumbfounded yet he could not managed to pull himself together enough to stop looking like a plebian. Luckily, however, he was able to spit out a small, "Thank you so much sir..."

"Oh, much too polite as well, wouldn't you say Achilles?" Kain compounded his, er, mistake, if you will, of speaking, by letting a soft chuckle escape his lips. Achilles, on the other hand, did not find it nearly as amusing, so simply stuck to his standard grunt. "I'm sure you're much more learned than me, young man."

Gulping in a breath, forgetting his earlier thoughts of the other's possible inappropriateness for the job, he shook his head with a strange ferocity and squeezed his eyes shut. "Not to be rude, but- but- you must be smarter!" He let an inner curse slip, though, in his favor, it didn't reach his lips, as he berated himself for the sudden desertion of his eloquence.

"Ah, well, I shan't argue the point with you. What is your name, if I may be so bold? I would like to let Curtis know about the incredible promptness of this delivery," Kain asked, sensing Felix's more than mild discomfort and deciding to close off the conversation.

"Felix, sir," he responded, gathering his wits with much less speed than usual, but finally he looked his composed self.

"It was pleasure meeting you, Felix. I will be sure to put in a few good words for you at Vareth, though I'm certain it's not necessary." He turned his smile up a notch, no longer mild, but more pleasant, and at the moment he said his goodbyes, Felix realized, with a suddenness, that Olacion operated in a completely different world: perhaps Kain was smarter than him, but that was not important in this case, not at all.

Slowly, Felix turned around and, with little effort, regained his appearance of floating out of the shrine, as he was struck by another realization. He was smart, goodness knows he was smart, but it occurred to him that he had no idea about the world outside of Vareth. If he was any more naive, he would have attributed Kain's voice to some sort of magic, hence the effect that it had on him, but he was cognizant enough to understand that was not the case. What was it though? Is that why he was so well-respected? His ability to create awe in the people? Perhaps that was what religion was all about.

At any rate, he couldn't recall ever being so affected by a voice, feeling so warm from a few inconsequential platitudes, not since he was small. His past was so fuzzy anymore, he really couldn't remember much before Vareth. But as soon as Kain had started to speak, he felt much safer than he ever had in his little dorm at Vareth.

Not that it mattered, he doubted he would ever have any reason to go back to Olacion, so he decided to forget about the incident. Putting the it out of his mind, he realized with a jolt that he was outside again, freezing to death, toes going numb. With a discontent grumble, he began making a bit more effort to get to the nearest pharmacy.

Notes:

That was much lamer than I had hoped. Oh well. Maybe I'll attempt to fix it up some.

Also! Thank you Elly! I was hoping Felix would be at least enjoyable, but I'm so happy that he's believable.

And. Felix loves his dresses. Don't you make fun of him. He feels pretty.

The chapter titles? I'm sure someone has noticed that they are all from Taking Back Sunday, so far. --;; Yeah, pretty much all that I've been listening lately.

As always, I do love reviews, especially any sort of constructive criticism. I only proofread this once, so please let me know everything that slipped past my not-so-discerning eye.


End file.
